A game of Hogwarts
by caterinax
Summary: Starks, Lannisters, Martells, Tyrells in Hogwarts and the Ministry. Some Harry Potter characters may appear. Just having some fun trying to imagine ASOIAF characters in Potterverse. The plot will include the Triwizard Cup and an escape convict, but at the moment I'm just taking it as it comes.
1. Chapter 1 - The Sorting

**Sansa**

Silver stars glittered in a dark velvet sky that constituted the Great Hall's enchanted ceiling. Hundreds of candles floated in mid-air above a sea of black-robed teenagers, who were all looking in the same direction. In front of the teacher's table, on top of a wooden stool, sat the battered and ancient Sorting Hat.

Sansa was sitting with her fellow Hufflepuffs waiting for the Sorting to end and the feast to begin. She was the only one of her siblings to be sorted into Hufflepuff – so far at least. She hadn't minded much that her older brother and half-brother were in Gryffindor, but when a year ago her younger sister, Arya, got sorted into Gryffindor too, she started feeling resentful. Being sorted in a different House than her siblings made her feel isolated from them and left-out and she reacted with disdain and hurtful remarks. Her uncle Edmure, though, who witnessed this behavior, guessed what had been the cause of it and had a chat with her. Well, he was Head of Hufflepuff House and so responsible for her. He reminded her that all the Tullys were sorted in Hufflepuff, including her mother Catelyn.

"You take after your mother so much", he said. "You have her great beauty, of course. But also her spirit, her gracefulness and of course her stubbornness", he laughed. "Is it at all surprising that you belong to the same House that she did?"

Uncle Edmure – no, she corrected herself, _Professor Tully_, then helped her remember how much fun she'd been having until then.

Indeed, being in that House led her to achieve one of the two things she most cared about: to be popular. She glanced at the girl sitting next to her. Margaery Tyrell befriended her shortly after Sansa was sorted in Hufflepuff. Although she was older than her by 3 years, she introduced her to her circle of friends and not before long Sansa was part of the most popular group of girls in school.

Sansa's other desire still hadn't been fulfilled: to find true love.

Another Frey was being sorted at the moment. _How many more were there?_ The school seemed inundated by Frey students– there were at least 4 in her year alone and they were all unattractive and boring – well, the boys at least.

Speaking of boys… Sansa stole a glance at the Head Boy sitting next to Margaery. He was not just the most liked boy in school, he was _adored_. A Hufflepuff with dazzling good looks, a Chaser in the Quidditch team, a terrific student and all-round kind and polite young man. Boys wanted to be him, girls wanted to do him. Loras Tyrell, Margaery's brother. If Margaery was the undisputed Queen of the school, then Loras was certainly the King. Even her brother Robb, Captain of Gryffindor's Quidditch team, wasn't _that_ popular.

"Elia Sand" called the voice of Professor Tarly and a dark-haired girl strode confidently and jammed the Hat on her head. There was some murmuring among the students and no wonder. She was yet another Sand Snake to attend this school. Her father, Oberyn Martell, had eight daughters from five different women and hadn't married not one of the mothers. Talk about sowing your wild oats in your youth! He was called The Viper because of his weekly political column, _The Red Viper,_ in his brother Doran's newspaper, _The Unbiased_. His vicious, truthfull quill could puncture - and had punctured - many a reputation. No wonder Elia Martell, now sorted in Gryffindor, moved like she owned the place. The offspring of the media moguls that were feared by all, even the government, could very well move like they owned the place.

"Brandon Stark", rang the deep voice of the Professor. Her brother Bran was next. He walked to the stool, sat and put on the Hat. Sansa held her breath. Would he go the way of Robb, Arya and Jon and end up in Gryffindor like their father or would he follow the Tully side of the family and come to Hufflepuff?

The Hat didn't take long. It opened its mouth and announced:

"Ravenclaw!"


	2. Chapter 2 - Arya

**I do not own Harry Potter, J.K. Rowling does. I do not own ASOIAF, GRRM does. **

**Arya**

Well. That was a surprise. Arya couldn't remember anyone in the family having been Sorted in Ravenclaw. She turned her head to where Sansa was sitting with her stuck-up friends. Her sister caught her eye - she seemed pretty surprised too.

Sorting had finished. Professor Tarly carried the stool and the Hat outside the Great Hall and the Headmistress rose from her seat. The noise instantly died down.

"Welcome to another year at Hogwarts", she said. "I am sure you must all be hungry so announcements will wait for the end of the feast. Tuck in!"

And with that word the tables filled with dishes of pork and steak, salmon and sea bass, roast chicken, wild rice with mushrooms, mashed potatoes; tureens of thick gravy; platters heaped with carrots and sprouts and all sorts of salads. Arya loved to eat at Hogwarts and started filling her plate with everything she could reach.

"So, what does that mean? Bran being sorted in Ravenclaw?" she turned to her right and asked Robb, who was helping himself to some steak. He shrugged.

"I don't think it means anything, little sis".

Jon leaned from across the table.

"Well, basically, it means that Bran is cleverer than you", he said.

"Hey, I'm the best in Defense in my whole year", she told him and flicked her fork in his direction, covering him with mash potatoes.

"Arya!" Robb yelled, but Jon laughed.

"Is that part of your awesome Defense training?" he said taking out his wand and murmuring _Tergeo_.

Arya glared at him. She picked up her goblet for a sip of pumpkin juice but as she brought the goblet to her lips, the goblet twitched and then was upended, soaking the front of her robes. She turned to Jon who was tucking his wand in his robes.

"You did it!" she yelled while the whole table burst out laughing. She got her wand out too thinking fast for a good hex… but, like always, Robb grabbed her wrist and stopped her.

"What did we say?" he said in his stern older-brother-giving-a-warning tone.

"He started it!"

"No, as a matter of fact, you flicked food at him first", Robb said. "I _am_ sitting next to you, you know. Now put that wand away and finish your food".

Arya frowned, but she did as she was told. If she ever disobeyed her brother, he would write home and she would be removed from school for home-tutoring. The year before, she had gotten so many Howlers in the first term alone that after the Incident with the Toilet Seat and Professor Waters her parents just showed up at the school and told her she was going back to be home-schooled right that instant. It took an incredible amount of pleading to convince them to let her stay.

Her brothers were still talking about Bran.

"Nope, I don't remember anyone in our family, either side of the family, being Ravenclaw", said Robb.

"Well, Bran has always been a great reader and not much of a fighter really", added Jon. "It actually makes a lot of sense if you stop to think about it".

"Families often split, it's not actually a given you'll end up with your siblings", Dacey Mormont chimed in. "Look at the Sand Snakes, Sarella is in Ravenclaw, Elia just got sorted in Gryffindor – not to mention Sam Tarly is a Ravenclaw whereas his father is Head of Gryffindor".

Elia Sand. She was supposed to be good with the wand. Arya glanced at her direction. The daughter of the Red Viper sat holding court with the first-years and gave the impression that she had been in the school forever instead of just 3 hours. _I bet she's trouble_, Arya thought and narrowed her eyes. She would have to keep an eye for the rival. Gryffindor only had one Warrior Queen.

She wondered how her brother was doing in his new House. She turned to look at him and caught his eye. He waved. Arya waved back enthusiastically with her fork.

"Arya! Put that fork down, you're going to take someone's eye out! Sitting next to you is being under threat of imminent death", Robb said but smiled in the end, to soften his chiding.

"Sorry!" she said and put the fork down and then started eating with her hands. Jon burst out laughing again along with Dacey and some other Gryffindors. Robb looked exasperated. She winked at him and said playfully "See, no forks, no threat of imminent death".


	3. Chapter 3 - First impressions

**I do not own Harry Potter, J.K. Rowling does. I do not own ASOIAF, GRRM does. **

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**Bran**

He was introduced to several people but had forgotten all their names already. He only remembered the Head Girl, a tall statuesque black girl, who had come over to introduce herself and welcome him to the House.

"I know your siblings are in different Houses", she said. "It can sometimes look pretty lonely at first. It is difficult, but trust me, you'll make many friends soon enough and schoolwork _will_ keep you fairly busy. Not to mention, our House is a pretty cool house, to be honest. If you ever need any help with anything, let me know. I'm Sarella".

"Nice to meet you, Sarella", said Bran and she smiled and left.

Bran kept glancing at the Gryffindor table where his siblings kept laughing and teasing one another. He wasn't feeling afraid or anxious about this unexpected development, but he did feel lonely. Father had told him that a man is brave only when he is afraid, but he hadn't said anything about lonely. You could argue it's not a very different feeling – or maybe it is, Bran had never thought about it, but he wanted to be brave, so he stopped looking at his siblings and decided to take a good look around the Great Hall.

Right next to him was a bunch of first-years, all shy and quiet. Older Ravenclaws were joking and laughing and exchanging news and summer stories.

The Head table interested him more. He knew all of the teachers from his siblings' descriptions anyway.

In the middle, the formidable Headmistress, a woman so feared that she was nicknamed the Queen of Thorns. She never shouted or yelled at you, but one stern look from her and a sharp comment and you'd wish she had flayed you instead. To her right, the current Transfiguration teacher and Deputy Headmaster, Professor Tarly. He had cold, appraising eyes and Bran had heard his brothers say that he despised all sort of weakness. Arya had told him that he was even cruel to his first son, a fat Ravenclaw in year 5 who was friends with Jon.

The thin grey-haired man in his monk's robes was surely the Potions Master, Professor Qyburn. Arya had told him the craziest stories about him, there were a ton of rumours circulating in the school, but he had never believed any of them. Looking at him now though – why, you could easily imagine him as someone who raised the dead. A shiver went down his spine.

The two men chatting quietly at the end of the table he knew very well. They were more like celebrities and had often graced the pages of the _Unbiased, _usually accompanied by less than favourable articles. Professor Lannister and Professor Lannister, the sons of the mighty Tywin Lannister, the newly appointed Minister for Magic. The two brothers sitting next to each other couldn't have looked any more different if they tried. Professor Lannister, _the handsome one_, the one Sansa fancied, was their Defense against the Dark Arts teacher, a legendary Auror who had retired after the damage to his hand and got a teaching position in the school. Robb was in awe of him and wanted to emulate him. He could see even now Robb sitting in the same languid manner as his idol.

His brother, Professor Lannister, _the Imp_, was a dwarf and he had been the brightest wizard of his age, now the Head of House Ravenclaw and the Charms teacher. He was saying something to his brother and the good looking brother laughed out loud.

There were two huge men at the other end of the table. Hagrid was the name of the teacher of Magical Creatures. He came from a foreign land and was the biggest man Bran had ever seen. Bran didn't have him this year, but Sansa, now entering her 3rd year, was dreading his lesson. She dreaded all outdoorsy lessons, unlike Arya. Next to Hagrid was an old family friend. Father had actually secured this job for him. Bran caught his eye and waved.

"Hodor!" his friend's voice carried in the room and the big man almost got up from his seat and stumbled on the table. Hagrid hurriedly pulled him back down and nodded at the Headmistress who looked sharply at them. Her look could freeze Fiendfyre. Hodor whimpered and sat quietly down.

After a while, the food disappeared from the plates leaving them clean and shiny once again. At that moment, the Headmistress rose from her seat and the students instantly quietened down.

"Well, now that we all enjoyed this feast, it is time for announcements. First, I'd like all of you to welcome a new teacher to the school. This …" and she pointed to a pale man with white-blond hair reaching his shoulders and an eye-patch over his eye, "this is Professor Rivers and he will be taking over the post of Divination. I am sure we would like all to give him a warm welcome. At the request of Professor Rivers, Divination will be taught now in _all the years_, which means, for the first time ever, first- and second- years will have Divination lessons".

She paused for breath and looked sharply across the room.

"Now it's time for the big announcement. This year, the school will be hosting the delegations of two international schools. We will have the pleasure of welcoming students from the _Varys' Little Birds Academy_ from the East and the _Free Spirit School_ from the North Lands, who will all arrive sometime next month. These delegations come to take part in a magical competition that has not been seen in this or any country for over a century. This once in a lifetime event will take place once again, in Hogwarts, this very year."

She paused again. The silence was perfect.

"The Triwizard cup!"

The four tables exploded.

"What?!"

"Oh my God, for real?"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah" shouted a girl from Gryffindor jumping up and down. Bran was not surprised to discover it was Arya.

"That will be enough!" the Headmistress said and everyone went quiet again. "You have plenty of time to celebrate in your common rooms, where I don't have to hear you. We will have more information for you at the Halloween feast, but now, you are dismissed. Prefects, make sure you do your job properly for once and we don't get the same havoc we have every year on the stairs".

"Ravenclaws, this way!" called a boy while Sarella rushed off to co-ordinate with the Head Boy the four Houses' evacuation from the Great Hall.

Bran's line moved slowly to the door when a few Slytherins, not much older than him, pushed their way through.

"Hey!" said a first-year, but saw who it was and stopped.

The tall blond boy looked at him with cold hate.

"Do _not_ presume to address me again in any way or you'll regret it". He turned to his friends. "So, I was saying, I have been trying to find out what the tasks are for a month now, but grandfather will simply not allow me any access to the Ministry talks and discussions. I have tried spying spells… "

"Yeah, like you could pass Grandfather's security measures! Come on, Joffrey, you are being ridiculous!"

"Shut up, Myrcella", he hissed.

"Mother said we aren't allowed to take part in the competition, it is too dangerous and -"

"Women… ", sneered Joffrey cutting her off and his friends laughed with him. He turned his back to her and pushed further out, his mates following him. Myrcella was left alone. She saw Bran looking at her, gave him a sad smile and followed her brother out.


	4. Chapter 4 - Prison escape

**I do not own Harry Potter, J.K. Rowling does. I do not own ASOIAF, GRRM does.  
**

* * *

**Davos**

The Ministry was all in uproar. His boss, Stannis, had left immediately for Azkaban when word got out with the Minister for Magic and Davos was left to manage the crisis on his own. He had been in the office since 5.30 am and things had gotten a lot worse when _The Unbiased_ came out at dawn with the headline "Mystery Escape: How the Ministry failed us". If the Minister for Magic or his boss ever found out which Ministry employee had leaked the news, nobody would find his body, Davos thought. Leaking the news was sure to lead to widespread panic and it was precisely what they didn't need at the time. The escape of the boy brought back the memory of those gruesome murders that had shaken magical Britain two years ago and the collective wound had still not healed. He remembered that terrible, terrible time and he always suspected that it was Tywin's apprehension of the boy as the former Head of Magical Law that led to him eventually being voted Minister for Magic instead of Stannis. Stannis had not forgotten his most bitter failure. They were political rivals and had fought relentlessly before the election for the top position after the unexpected and untimely death of the previous Minister of Magic, Robert Baratheon.

Davos checked his watch and sighed. It wasn't even 9 and he was inundated. Owl after owl arrived from terrified parents, from the families of the victims, from the papers wanting "a statement", not to mention countless memos from other Ministry offices as everyone was scared out of their wits and paralysed with panic. They all looked to Stannis, the current Head of Magical Law, to deal with this emergency and he had still not returned from Azkaban. Davos had gone briefly to see Kevan at the Minister's office and he found the Minister's Assistant under similar duress.

Nymeria Sand from _The Unbiased_ had slid in the office sometime after 8 trying to get a scoop. He had sent her away rudely and he was sure to pay for that sometime in her father's column. The reporters from the Daily Prophet and the Quibbler were never as ruthless as the Unbiased, but still annoying and persistent. They showed up thirty minutes after Nymeria and were a nightmare to get rid of. He arranged for a press conference in the afternoon and kept repeating "The Head of the Department of Magical Law is currently visiting the prison to find out the details of the escape. He is accompanied by the Minister for Magic, Mr. Tywin Lannister. The Ministry is taking the situation very seriously and is already taking steps to ensure the prisoner is apprehended as soon as possible".

Another owl. He read the parchment quickly and sighed. Real life didn't stop when prisoners escaped. He marched into the Auror Office.

Every single Auror was in the Office at the moment which made it extremely crowded and noisy. People had been called in from holidays and he assumed some had come straight from the beach, as a couple of them were still wearing sarongs and beach shorts under Auror robes. He pushed around until he saw the white crown of the Head Auror deep in conversation with the most experienced members of this team.

"Mr. Selmy, a moment please!"

The white-haired man got up from his desk and walked to Davos.

"Any news?"

"No, he's not back yet".

"Yes, my people are there too. Sent a couple of good Aurors to investigate at the scene, see how the bloody hell he got out, but wasn't sure if the officials would be back earlier. So, um, is there something I can do for you?"

Davos sighed and handed over the parchment.

"It is the third one I got this morning, the lady is pretty insistent. I know she's upset, but dealing with this at the moment…"

Barristan nodded, eyes flying over the parchment.

"Perhaps she hasn't seen the papers yet", he muttered.

"Well, it's not top priority, or even a priority of any sort, but if you could spare someone, anyone?"

"Yeah, I have someone in mind", Barristan said and gestured at the tallest girl Davos had ever seen.

"Sir?"

She looked excited. She probably thought she was going to be part of the team searching for the escaped convict.

"Ms. Tarth, I'd like you to investigate this burglary please", said Barristan handing her the note. "The pet shop in Diagon Alley. Money was taken and some animals were killed in the process. Some witnesses heard of ferocious barking at the time the burglary happened. Take a statement and come back".

Brienne controlled her disappointment well. Davos could see her face fell when she heard her assignment but she rallied quickly.

"Of course, sir. I'm going right now".

When Brienne left, Barristan turned to Davos.

"Has the boy's father been notified?"

"Yes", said Davos, "his meeting with Stannis is at noon. How are your efforts going? Got everything you need?"

"Twenty more Aurors would be good. Fifty would be great. But still we might not catch him. We have no ideahow he escaped yet. I am hoping the people I sent in Azkaban find something that might help us, some clue – I have people following the boy's father and patrolling their Manor, in case he wants to return there –"

"Which would be stupid-" said Davos.

"Indeed, but he was never the sharpest killer, just the most brutal. Of course, he could have left the country for the bloody Bahamas and might never come back".

"Then, it won't be long before the Bahamas experiences a slew of horrific murders… he missed the death penalty last time but I don't think he will escape it this time – if he is caught".

"We have to notify the Muggle police as well".

Davos groaned. He knew Tywin Lannister felt nothing but disdain for the Muggle politicians. He had once famously remarked that a visit to the Muggle Prime Minister was preferable to a visit in Azkaban but only marginally. _The Unbiased_ had a field day with that quote. And today, a visit to Azkaban and the Muggles _at the same day_? Tywin was indeed having a bad day. Still, it had to be done. The boy had killed Muggles in the past for sport.

"I just remembered: got an owl from Cersei Lannister and it concerns you", Davos said.

Now it was Barristan's turn to groan. "What did she want _this _time?"

"Aurors at the school. Twenty".

"_Twenty_? She mad? How many does she think we have?"

"It makes some sense to send a few, though", Davos argued. "The boy hated the old pureblood families".

Barristan looked hesitant. Davos leaned closer.

"Look, she's the daughter of the Minister for Magic. You know she can create hell for you if she wants. And if - god forbid- a student is attacked…"

Two Aurors walked in the office at that time, looking shaken, clammy and grey-faced, clearly just back from Azkaban. Barristan ran off to meet them. That meant that Stannis was probably back as well, Davos thought and left for his office.

* * *

"Where have you been?" asked his boss. He was always cranky after a visit to the prison and wasn't the most easy-going person to begin with.

"Just at the Aurors. What's the news from the prison?"

Stannis shut the door and sealed it with a spell to make sure they weren't overheard. He sat down heavily.

"The Dementors are spitting feathers. Never seen them like that before. If they had emotions, I would have thought their pride was insulted".

"Do we know what happened?"

"Well, as it turns out, there is a mysterious situation that the Aurors discovered. The Dementors – and the visitor's log - confirm three visits in the last month. One was from the Minister of Magic, who, as you know, makes bi- monthly visits. The other visit was from his father; which is quite unusual".

It _was_ unusual. The boy's father never seemed to acknowledge he actually had a son.

"And the third visit, sir?"

"Well, that's the interesting thing. Someone signed in with the name of Robert Baratheon".

"Robert? How could it be? Didn't the Dementors see him?"

"Well, the Dementors don't recognize people as such. The Aurors will bring a prisoner and the Dementors will keep him there and that's that. They have no idea what the prisoner looks like. Not only that, but the prison has no defense against magical fraud, like, say, Gringotts. Something like that has never occurred before and so it has never occurred _to us_ that someone might claim to be someone he is not when signing in".

"Families are not allowed in… ".

"Exactly. Only the authorities are. Someone signing in as my late brother would be allowed entrance. Dementors recognize the name from past visits as the Minister for Magic but don't have the necessary understanding of humans to remember that this minister is not actually supposed to be alive or that there can't be two Ministers. But that's not all". Stannis paused for a minute. "A couple of prisoners were awake and looking outside the bars of their cells when that visitor came. They insist – _under Veritaserum_ – that he was indeed Robert".

"But that's… that's impossible!" cried Davos, but then a thought crossed his mind. "Wait, polyjuice?"

"It is the likeliest possibility. That's what the Aurors think anyway".

"Polyjuice ingredients are heavily regulated. You can't just walk into a shop and buy them".

"There is the black market. It is all most mysterious. This person wasn't seen leaving the prison either. You see why we were gone for so long, the situation is complicated".

Davos nodded slowly. The realization made him shiver. "That means, that whoever planned this escape is quite devious and has been planning this for a long time. Robert Baratheon has been dead and buried for two years now. Someone kept a hair of him for this long? And who would have access to a hair of the Minister of Magic?"

"Pretty much every young woman in the country", Stannis quipped. "That's another thing we have to look into. Well, finding the boy now sounds almost impossible. It is one thing searching for a convict who's on the run with no resources, and another searching for someone who might have an associate with a vat of polyjuice at his disposal – not to mention, a hiding place set out for him and God knows what else".

There was silence for a moment, as they grasped the severity of the situation.

"Who would want to free him?" asked Stannis finally. You could tell he really wondered. "I can't see how a serial killer loose on the streets helps any cause in any way whatsoever".

"It helps only those who want the people afraid and hidden in their houses. Panicked. Easier to manipulate", guessed Davos. "Unless there is something to do with the Triwizard Cup".

Stannis groaned. "I forgot about that bloody thing. Tywin's clever idea of expanding his influence to other countries".

"I bet his ear was bent by Littlefinger. That man will do anything to make his businesses international. The Triwizard Cup will attract people from all over the world and he is looking to make contacts".

Stannis rose. "Best get on with things. What time is the meeting with the boy's father?"

"Roose Bolton will see you at noon, sir".


	5. Chapter 5 - The pet shop burglary

**Disclaimer: The Harry Potter universe and the ASOIAF characters belong to J.K Rowling and GRRM respectively. This is not written for profit, solely for fun.**

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**A/N 1**: I am not particularly satisfied with this chapter; the whole idea was to wrap up the story about Brienne investigating the pet shop burglary and to show why she would be chosen for the taskforce (explained in the next chapter).

**2**: English is not my first language, so my attempt to write in dialect might not be successful – or might even be a complete failure. J.K. Rowling is brilliant at writing dialect, I know…

* * *

**Brienne**

She certainly hadn't expected _this_ to be her lucky break.

She was standing in the pet shop taking the statement of a Mrs. Spencer. The animals in the shop were still cowering in their cages and the whole place smelled musty. The floor was covered in debris, hair and animal droppings from the cages that had been disturbed. Some of the animals had run away when that wild dog burst in the shop while his owner stole the day's takings.

"A clever ruse", Mrs. Spencer said. "Most of my pets would never leave the shop, they'd just hide from a wizard, but they were frightened of the wild dog. It is animal instinct to flee from the most ferocious animal".

Brienne made notes thinking of how much this wasted her time. She needed to be involved in the escape. Right now, Mr. Selmy would be allocating his forces and she would return just in time to be told that she had to return to her office duties.

"What I don't understand", Mrs. Spencer was now saying, "is why they had to tear down shelves and break all the fish tanks!" She pointed to the side of the shop where the floor was covered in splintered wood, water and broken glass and scattered with dead fish. "There was nothing there for them to steal. They even tore down part of the wall in their fury. Who would hate fish so much?" she sniffed.

Brienne walked carefully around the debris to the side of the wall. There was a small hole at knee height, not big enough for a person to fit through. She peered inside and saw the inside of the shop next door. It looked like a warehouse. She wondered…

"Excuse me please", Brienne said.

She found the entrance for the shop next door in a side alley. It looked more like a storage warehouse than a shop. A short, old man with the Frey coat of arms on his robes was picking up boxes from the floor.

"They rob '_er_ and my wall gets knocked down as well… bin telling 'er for ages to get proper alarms an' everythin'. Now my shop's all ruined too," he complained as soon as he saw the Auror.

"Was anything taken from your shop, sir?" she asked.

He looked at her surprised.

"_I_ wasn' robbed, missy. _She_ was", he pointed next door. "I'm just pickin' the shelves what fell down because of this hole 'ere".

"What do you sell here?"

"A lil' o' this, a lil' o' that. Mostly potion stuff in bulk for the stores 'ere. Some secon' hand books an' brooms an' robes".

"Have you checked your stock, sir?"

"Look, I told yeh…"

"Sir, please do so immediately. If you'd be so kind", she added as she didn't want to sound very rude.

"All righ', all righ' - as if I didn' have enough to do," he muttered. Brienne saw him walk around the shop slowly, muttering to himself, peering into glass jars, looking at boxes of frog eyes, examining sacks of herbs, counting a stack of broomsticks at the back. He stopped in a couple of places for a minute, then his search continued faster.

Finally, he turned back to her.

"Gee, you're righ', missy. They took some stuff. Can't have been any other time, I'm sure. Didn't take much though. I'll write you a list".

When Brienne checked the list, she knew she had found something important. She apparated back to the Office and went straight to Mr. Selmy, where he was bent over a map of the UK talking with a couple of Senior Aurors.

"Sir", she called. "About the pet shop burglary…"

He looked at her irritated.

"Not now, Ms Tarth, you can see we have far more important-"

"Sir, I believe the pet shop burglary is connected to the prison escape. You really need to see this". She gave him the list which consisted of an old broomstick, robes with the coat of arms of the Lannisters and three potion ingredients. The three strictly- regulated ingredients which were required to make Polyjuice potion.

* * *

"So let's see", said Mr. Selmy after she had explained everything. "The pet shop burglary was a diversion – so we wouldn't discover about the theft of these items from the warehouse".

"That's precisely what I think, sir", Brienne said. She felt quite self-conscious being the centre of attention of the Head Auror and the Senior Aurors, but she carried on. "The warehouse was almost undisturbed, so whoever went in, made sure his tracks were covered. The owner claimed (and I confirmed) that all the items were protected by anti-theft charms, such as anti-Accio. No one would be able to summon things from next door and no hand other than the owner's could touch them without the alarms being activated. At night time, the points of entry were also protected by anti-burglary spells, which is why the thief had to come through the wall. Finally, the pet shop burglary was incredibly loud and messy for a burglary which indicates to me that perhaps the point was to attract all attention from the real scene of the crime".

"So, the dog served more than one purpose: to enter through the small hole and steal the objects his owner required. The anti-theft spells recognize only human touch, not paws or claws or teeth", said Mr. Selmy.

"Must have been an incredibly well-trained dog to recognize lacewing flies and skin of boomslang", said Mr. Dayne.

"Well, if this hupothesis is correct, then the Bastard of Bolton has a broomstick and the ingredients to make polyjuice at his disposal. We suspected polyjuice was involved in his escape, used by an accomplice… But it now seems _certain_ that the Bastard has the potion. He could be anyone! That makes our job infinitely more difficult", the Blackfish summed up.

They all paused for a moment trying to digest the news.

"We'll need to re-think some of our plans. Good job, Ms. Tarth", said Mr. Selmy dismissing her.

"Sir!" She trembled but she had to do this. "Could I ask you, please, not to have me return to my office duties? I think I will serve you much better in active duty".

The Head Auror paused for a moment, thinking.

"You have shown initiative and _very_ clever thinking in investigating a routine matter. We suspected polyjuice, now we are sure of it. Okay. I think I have a job for you", he said and Brienne's face broke in a wide grin.


	6. Chapter 6 - The staff meeting

**Disclaimer: The Harry Potter universe and the ASOIAF characters belong to J.K Rowling and GRRM respectively. This is not written for profit, solely for fun.**

**Tyrion**

The staff meeting was in process. Usually he hated staff meetings but this one was important. The news was dire indeed and actions had to be taken.

"How are we going to teach our classes stress-free?" Edmure had been protesting for a while. "I teach _outside_, in the greenhouses, I am more of a target than anyone, I am a... a sitting duck!" he yelled.

"Get a grip of yourself, ", cut the voice of the Head Mistress. "You are not a duck or anything else delicious and desirable – to the Bolton Bastard I mean. He doesn't attack middle-aged men, but young girls".

"Mid - middle-aged?! I _do not_ think…" he spluttered, but she had already turned her back to him.

"Mr. Lannister, I need to hear what you have to say on this matter".

Jaime sat up straight.

"I don't think he is a very good fighter, just very brutal, so I can easily …"

"Not _you_, Jaime Lannister. I meant your brother, Mr. _Tyrion_ Lannister". She sighed in exasperation and said almost in an aside, "Whoever it was that advised me to appoint two teachers with the same last name will need to be fired immediately".

At this Edmure Tully looked intently at the ceiling. Jaime smiled humorlessly and replied to their boss.

"Of course, Madame. Why _would_ you want to hear the opinion of the Defense teacher?"

"I _know_ the opinion of the Defense teacher because their way is always the same: wait until you see the criminal and then fight! I will not have a single student in the school in danger of this monster because we decided to _wait and fight_. I will do whatever it takes to keep them safe and I will need someone _with brains_ that might tell me of ways to seal this school before the Bastard even thinks he wants to come and mutilate our girls here!"

Silence. Even Qyburn was holding his breath.

"Tyrion", she commanded.

It was Tyrion's turn to sit up straight. You couldn't help it, he thought, her voice always made everyone sit up straight, and he suspected it worked even on the dead.

"Well, anything I can suggest I am sure you have already thought first, Madame", he said politely nodding towards the formidable lady, who gave him half a smile. "Install alarms in the area surrounding the school, increase the magical protection of the schools - Protego Maxima at the least - and also … hm, I don't think you'll like it - …"

"Yes? Well, out with it!"

"I think we should cancel the Triwizard Cup".

"_Cancel_?"said his brother immediately. "Oh c'mon, it'll be fun!"

The Head Mistress rolled her eyes.

That was typical Jaime, Tyrion thought. A fearsome fighter, experienced in hundreds of fights with dark wizards, always sure that he would make everything work out his way. He had never been weak and had never felt defenseless until he lost his hand, but even then, through determination and practice, he became as good as he was before. Perhaps not good enough to continue with the Aurors, but good enough to still be considered one of the most powerful wizards in the country. His brother could never understand what life was like for a dwarf or a young woman or a little boy or anyone that couldn't rely on their battle instincts but on their wits – or not even that. Sometimes the only thing that condemned you or saved you from a horrific death was pure chance.

"Can we cancel, Madame? Might we?!" Edmure had cut in. "Only I have ordered a particularly expensive set of robes for the Yule party and I need to know in time to cancel the order, if I am to get the refund…" his voice trailed under the stern look the Head Mistress gave him and he visibly withered. Edmure just never knew when to shut up.

"I'm afraid it is not possible to cancel. This is a huge event that has been in the works for months, organized by three different countries. Mr. Tarly left early this morning by Floo powder for the Ministry, I did tell him to inquire on the possibility, but I am positive his answer will be the same: no cancellation. So if this is all we can come up with…?"

"Actually, Madame", Tyrion said, "I do have one suggestion".

"Well, what are you waiting for? Tell us", said the voice of the Head Mistress.

"It actually involves my brother. Since the target of the convict is almost certainly going to be girls, I think Jaime should undertake to teach advanced Defense to all the girls in the school as an extra-curricular lesson. They need to be able to defend themselves wherever they are. They won't always be in Hogwarts".

The Head Mistress smiled at him with some satisfaction.

"Thank you, Mr. Lann- Tyrion. That is indeed a very good suggestion. Other Lannister, please have the schedule for these lessons on my desk by tomorrow morning. I think a three-hour lesson a week is sufficient for the time being and you may have an assistant from the staff".

Jaime looked crestfallen but smiled tightly. As the door knocked at that moment and the Head Mistress gestured at Edmure to answer it, he leaned and whispered to Tyrion.

"Thanks a lot, little brother. There go most of my free evenings of the week".

"Look at the bright side. More time spent with swooning students".

"I'm not interested in children, if you must know. I like grown-up women, like…" but he had looked up and he forgot what he was going to say.

"Like _her_? She has definitely _grown_ up quite a bit", Tyrion whispered back.

In front of him stood the tallest woman he had ever seen and that was the reason both of them had lost their voice. The young girl shuffled self-consciously towards the back of the group of the people that arrived and tried to blend in with the wall. She didn't succeed.

Mr. Tarly strode in the middle of the now crowded and noisy room.

"Madame, colleagues…" the noise died instantly, "I have returned with news from the Ministry. The Minister has been generous enough to send us a small taskforce of Aurors who will be staying with us until the convict is apprehended. So, may I introduce you to the team's leader, Mr. Meryn Trant", and he indicated a man in his thirties with dark hair and a bored expression, "Ms. Brienne Tarth", the tall shy woman, "Mr. Balon Swann", a very handsome young man, '_my brother will have competition'_, Tyrion thought, "Mr. Podrick Payne", that was the youngest Auror in the group, he almost looked like he should still be a student, "Ms. Alysanne Mormont", another huge woman, '_what do they give them?'_ and finally "Ms. Asha Greyjoy", a surly looking brunette. Jaime nodded at the two older men, they had been his colleagues.

The meeting ended and they all started to file out in the corridors. Tyrion walked towards his office in the Ravenclaw tower and Jaime fell in step next to him. Edmure ran up to his left.

"So, what'd you think?" he whispered.

Tyrion sighed.

"I am sure they are strong and competent women…"

"But they're not _hot_ women…" Edmure completed his sentence. Tyrion nodded.

"Do you two ever talk about anything other than women?" his brother said from his right.

"Hey, what can we do?" Edmure protested. "We're single men. We live in a school with underage girls and hardly any eligible young women in the staff or even Hogsmeade. Of course, we're going to check out the romantic potential first".

Tyrion sometimes wondered whether this job meant he was excluded from any possible happiness. He tried to hide it with tons of cynicism but he was a romantic at heart and for ages entertained the wild notion that love would one day walk into the school and find him. He should be worrying about the convict, but couldn't help it: he was let-down. Glancing at Edmure, he saw the mirror of his disappointment on the Herbology teacher's face.

He didn't glance at Jaime. He knew who his heart beat for and he didn't want to think about it.


	7. Chapter 7 - First reactions I

**Disclaimer: The Harry Potter universe and the ASOIAF characters belong to J.K Rowling and GRRM respectively. This is not written for profit, purely for fun.**

* * *

S**ansa**

No one talked about anything else in the school that day. The excitement about the Triwizard Cup and the foreign students who would be visiting in a month's time had been utterly forgotten.

As soon as Sansa got in bed that night, a tiny paper airplane flew through the heavy velvet curtains of her four-poster bed.

_Wanna come sleep over?_ Read the golden curly handwritting. The note was unsigned but a signature wasn't needed, Sansa knew very well who had sent it.

She got up quietly, put on her grey robe with the direwolf on her breast over her pink nightie and stalked in the corridor. The light of the crescent moon came through the high windows of the tower as she climbed the steps to the dorm of the older girls.

It wasn't the first time Margaery had a sleepover. It was the most coveted secret gathering of the entire school. It was said you'd be more likely to get a foot massage from Tywin Lannister, the Minister for Magic himself, than an invitation to one of Margarey's sleepovers. Other Ravenclaws tried everything they could to find out what was being said in those sleepovers, using spells and charms and the Weasleys' Extendable Ears but Margaery always took precautions, like Imperturbing the door and casting Quietus spells. All these precautions were absolutely necessary, as the conversations in the sleepover were hot stuff indeed. Gossip was shared, relationships dissected, reputations destroyed. In two years, when Margaery would have left school, Sansa considered starting her own sleepovers.

"Ah, you're here, Sansa, lovely! Come join us", said Margaery in her sweet high voice.

There were already three girls squeezed in the bed with her, the girls that shared her dorm. A couple of others had Transfigured a divan right next to the bed. Sansa managed to find a place to settle in at the foot of the bed.

This time the topic was not their fellow students. The girls looked scared and thrilled at the same time and spoke in hushed, feverish voices.

"They say the wounds on the girls were horrific. Like not from a person, but a beast", Elinor continued the conversation that Sansa had interrupted.

"Yeah, he bit them is what I heard", said Alyce Graceford.

"And he only killed women".

"Pretty and young, that's what he liked" said Megga Tyrell, Margaery's cousin and visibly shivered.

"Do you think we are in danger, Margaery?" wondered Alysanne.

"How can we be in danger?" asked Sansa incredulously. "We are in the best protected building in the country".

"Yes, but he did escape from Azkaban and that has better security than here", said Margaery fairly.

Sansa hadn't thought of that.

"Are you afraid, Margaery?" She asked her friend.

Margaery smiled stoically. "Not really. I feel perfectly safe here, I am sure Grandmother will protect me. I trust her completely".

Sansa admired the strength of her friend. She would have been terrified.

"You know, when I saw his picture in the papers, all I could think was that he looks lonely. His father was so cruel to him. If there was someone to love him…" said Meredyth who hadn't spoken until then.

"Oh don't tell me you have fallen in love with him! Typical Meredyth! He is _not_ a tortured hero, he is a monster!" said Elinor.

"How would you know what's deep in his heart?" replied the other.

"My cousin is in St. Mungo's because of him! How can you forget that?" shouted Elinor and the argument started.

**A/N 1**: I decided to keep the house sigils of Westeros as coat of arms for the noble pureblood families of this universe. The coat of arms will be on the clothes of even the extended family (like the shopkeeper in a previous chapter), but not on Hogwarts or Auror uniform. Not all the Westeros characters are purebloods of course.

**2**: I borrowed the Quietus spell from the fantastic universe of Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality.


	8. Chapter 8 - First reactions II

**Disclaimer: The Harry Potter universe and the ASOIAF characters belong to J.K Rowling and GRRM respectively. This is not written for profit, purely for fun.**

* * *

**Jon**

The older Gryffindors did not go to bed that night. There was no way they'd be able to sleep when a threat had been introduced and needed to be dealt with. When all the younger ones had been sent to bed, the boys and girls of years 6 and 7 congregated around the armchairs by the fire.

"Do we _really_ think he will come all this way to Hogwarts? Honestly?" Robb was skeptical.

"Don't you remember the trial? He said it was getting expelled from Hogwarts that triggered his killing spree -", said Edrik.

"And then, when he was sentenced by Tywin Lannister, he threatened that one day he'd get his revenge from him and the Head Mistress by murdering their only grand-daughters. Myrcella and Margaery are both at Hogwarts, he is sure to come here", Jon continued. "It's not a hundred percent, but we'd better be prepared, right?"

"If only the Bastard of Bolton was more interested in 3rd year snooty and annoying blond boys…" said Dacey and everyone laughed because they all hated Joffrey.

"How is he ever going to get in the school?" a 7th year girl asked. "With all the new security measures and the Aurors?"

"He escaped from _Azkaban_. If he can escape from the Dementors, he ain't gonna be afraid of some Aurors, who don't look like much if you ask me", Arya chimed in.

"Arya! What are you still doing here?!" Robb yelled. "Go back to bed now!"

"Not going anywhere, I will stay with you and be part of this Watch and if you sent me to bed now, I will scream and wake Mr. Tarly up and then your meeting will be interrupted and _you_ will get detention and maybe even …"

"Enough! Just sit here close to me and be _quiet, _for Merlin's sake".

When Arya sat down, smug smile and all, Jon spoke. "I have to say I like Arya's idea. Neighbourhoods have a Watch, why not us? I vote in favour. We are the oldest students of the bravest House in the school. We all have sisters and cousins and friends that could be in danger if he comes here. The school will take whatever measures it can, but that doesn't mean we'll do nothing. Days are for lessons, nights for the Watch. At the very least, we can try to just keep an eye out". He had never spoken like that before in front of so many students, it always Robb that took charge, Robb who was the Quidditch Captain and a Prefect. He realized with some surprise that he had enjoyed it.

Arya jumped up at his words, her eyes shining and wide. "I want to be in the Watch that watches for danger in the night, please, please, please", she said.

"You will _not_ be part of it, unless you want me to tell Father", Robb said and Arya's face fell. "You are too young; you are impatient and disobedient; you are not half as experienced as we are; you can barely do a Summoning spell! The Watch will be only for 6th and 7th years and that's _final_".

"The Watch that watches for danger in the night", said Dacey. "I like the ring of that", she said and smiled at Arya.

"We will of course acknowledge that you gave us our name and for that we are eternally grateful", Jon concluded in a mock bow but his expression was kind to his sister.

His adopted sister, who was actually his cousin and looked so much like his late mother Lyanna, was still frowning.

"At least let me be part of the meetings", she begged. "I won't do the patrols or whatever, just wanna listen".

Robb relented. "Okay. You can take notes".

Jon smiled at that. Arya hated writing, but now she couldn't get out of it.

"So, show of hands - who wants to be involved in the Night Watch?"

* * *

**A/N**: I am a firm believer of R+L=J but I wanted Jon raised by the Starks and I wrote him interacting with the others like siblings do. So, I thought about it and decided that it is known that Lyanna is the mother, but the identity of the father is not known; so, as his mother died giving birth, he was adopted by his uncle and thus, in this universe, he is Jon Stark and officially a brother to Robb, Arya, Sansa, Bran, Rickon. (The theory of Lyanna being Jon's mother is just an unconfirmed theory and _not a spoiler_).


	9. Chapter 9 - First reactions III

**Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling and George RR Martin own the rights of the characters and places featured in this fanfic.**

* * *

**Bran**

Arya came to his table early the morning after the news of the escape had reached the school. She and Sansa used to come every other morning or so to catch up with his news and make sure he was okay. Bran was pretty sure that Robb had asked them to, or worse their mother.

Today, her eyes were red with sleeplessness but she was grinning and Bran knew that was not good news: Arya was involved in something she wasn't allowed to. Then she told him all about last night's meeting and the formation of the Night Watch and Bran had to say it didn't sound half as bad as he had feared, though that was probably because Robb and Jon were in charge. If it was left to Arya, she would have them all skip lessons to learn battle tactics and to chase Acromantulas in the Forbidden Forest.

"They are stupid if they think I am gonna just take notes and be a part of it", she said biting a piece of toast from his plate.

Jon had just sat down at the Ravenclaw table, too, to speak with his friend, Sam Tarly, another 6th year. They were deep in conversation, heads bent close together, voices low. Arya pointed at them.

"He's telling him of the Night Watch, we decided to work with kids from the other Houses - if they want to anyway. Oh did I tell you I named us? I jumped and said 'I want to work for the Watch that is the danger of the night' or something like that, can't remember, and everyone liked the name and so we're calling us _The Night Watch_, awesome huh? They'll wear a simple black ring on their finger to indicate that they are members of the Watch, which was my idea too. You know, I could definitely lead them, next year when Robb leaves school…"

After breakfast, it was Divination for Bran with the enigmatic Professor Rivers. He hurried; he was running late. The large cave-like dungeon room that Professor Rivers used was quite far away and he didn't want to be late. He could feel the teacher's attention on him even outside lessons and this made him feel scared and intrigued at the same time.

Taking the steps two a time, he got to the lower level and was running along a corridor when he heard crying. He stopped and peeked around the corner. Sitting in an alcove next to a knight in rusty armour was Myrcella Baratheon, sobbing quietly.

"Ehm, you okay?" he asked shyly.

The girl jumped.

"Sorry", Bran said again, "didn't mean to startle you. Just, you know… heard the crying… thought I'd see if you're alright, if there's something I can do…"

The girl wiped her eyes. "Thank you. It's quite alright, there's… there's not really anything …" Her eyes filled with tears again and Bran hesitated to leave her alone.

"Are you scared because of the Bastard?" he asked. "'Cause you shouldn't be – there's no way he's going to get anywhere near you, not with all the security in the school and the Defense lessons and the Night Watch and everything", he said.

"It's not only that-", she said. "Wait, the _Night Watch_? What's that?"

Bran bit his lips. How stupid of him! Arya said it was to be kept secret – teachers were not to know and she had two uncles teaching in the school! He could kick himself.

"Look, I can't really say, it's a secret – and I don't know much about it really, it's got to do with the older kids so…" he finished quite lamely and just stood there. She had stopped crying and looked back at him with a very somber look on her face. Bran realized that she was actually very, _very_ pretty and that made him quite uncomfortable. He gestured vaguely.

"So, am off to Divination", he said and started walking away.

"I envy you, you know"… she said, still in that somber mood, and Bran had to stop. "Not you exactly – the Ravenclaws. I sometimes feel as if I'm buried alive, sleeping in the dungeons; seeing the bottom of the lake from our common room, dark murky waters; lessons and library all day… it must be nice to be in Ravenclaw. Being high in a tower, looking down to the grounds all the way to the Forbidden forest and the mountains, seeing open sky from your window…"

Bran wasn't sure why he felt the need to share with her his best kept secret. Perhaps it was something in her voice, something he could identify with: the longing for freedom and air and the feeling you could reach the sky. So he told her.

"Meet me outside the Great Hall after dinner. I can show you a place I think you'll like".


	10. Chapter 10 - Days at Hogwarts I

**It's all Rowling's and Martin's… oh well, you know the drill.**

* * *

_Well, it turns out that Bran is difficult for me to write. Maybe because I can't relate to an 11-year-old boy? Perhaps. _

* * *

**Bran**

Bran walked into the Divination classroom deep in thought after the talk with Myrcella. He shook his head lightly to clear his head and looked around. His jaw dropped.

He was in a cave.

Professor Rivers must have transformed a classroom into a cave. Or maybe Hogwarts had caves in the dungeons? Bran couldn't know for sure. The room was large and dark with slanting light coming from narrow windows on the right-hand wall near the ceiling. Torches were lit in the four corners of the room making the shadows deeper and darker. Low round wooden tables were scattered around with large cushions to sit on. Professor Rivers sat on a wooden white chair with a straight tall back that resembled a throne and waited patiently for everyone to sit down.

"Welcome to Divination", he said as the class settled down. "As you already know, I'm Professor Rivers. I will guide you through all the different ways of seeing the future. Of knowing what's to come. You will see the future as clearly as looking outside a window".

An excited murmur arose at his words. He quieted them with a gesture.

"I know. It sounds intriguing. But here's the catch – not all of you will be able to achieve the True Sight. Not all of you have the potential to open your mind to the vibrations of time. The whispers of events not yet born".

He got up and stood in front of the class looking intensely at all of them.

"True Sight is a rare gift. I shall call myself lucky if _one_ of you, just one, has what it takes. If I am not mistaken, there might be one in this year. We shall see…"

The teacher was looking at the front desks, but somehow Bran had the feeling that his one red eye was staring right at him when he said those last few words. It was impossible to shake that feeling, although clearly the teacher was facing the other way.

"You will work in pairs. I would like you to pair with someone from the other House. You are Ravenclaws and Gryffindors here, right? So please find someone that is not in your House. Come on".

Bran looked around and saw reluctant faces looking around the class. Some of his fellow Ravenclaw approached others from Gryffindor and soon students moved, bags thumped on the floor, bottoms sat once again on cushions. In less than a minute, the new pairs were formed and Bran found himself being all alone. Apparently, the class was odd-numbered.

He felt the teacher's look on him and started saying "Sir, I haven't …" but Professor Rivers gestured at him to stop. A strange smile played on his lips. Right at that time, there was a knock on the door and then a girl's voice said "I'm terribly sorry, Professor Rivers, Mr. Qyburn kept me behind, he gave me a note, here. May I come in?"

"Of course. The class has already been formed into pairs so I would like you to pair up with the remaining student. From now on, till the end of the year, these will be your pairs in this lesson. Come, sit here, Miss Sand".

Bran saw Elia sit next to him and give him a smile. "Hi, I'm Elia".

"Hey. I'm Bran". He was a bit intimidated by her and slightly in awe – daughter of the Red Viper! - but the teacher was talking and he focused on his words.

"This term you will learn the use of the cards known as Tarot cards. There are several decks on the shelf over there. Please pick one between the two of you and lay the first spread described in your coursebook, Chapter 1, page 11. The meaning of each card is at Appendix I at the back of your books. I will come around to check how you're doing. You may begin".

Bran volunteered to get the cards. He brought back a beautifully illustrated deck. It wasn't like the ones he used to play Exploding Snap with.

Elia was similarly impressed. "Oh, they have pictures on them!" said Elia, picking out cards and looking at them. They spent a few moments examining the intricate drawings. One card had a huge sun on it, another a skull, a third pictured a man on a throne, a fourth a thief running away with swords.

"So what do we do first?" said Bran.

Elia opened her book and read aloud the instructions.

"Ask a question silently, shuffle the deck, then pick three cards. Lay out one in the centre, then one to the left, then right. The middle describes the present, the left one the past, the right one the future. Pretty straightforward. Okay, ask a question", she told him.

Bran cast around in his mind for a good question. He could ask about his grades or whether his essay in Potions was going to pass (he had done it so fast), but then his mind came across the image of the crying girl he had met only a little while ago and asked silently _What will happen at my meeting with Myrcella?_ _"_Ok, I have asked a question", he said.

"Pick three cards…" she said in a low thunderous voice and when he did, she looked at them with that mock-serious look on her face. Bran grinned and she glanced at him.

"What? I'm getting in character. Madame Kali, the renowned occultist", she said and they both laughed.

"So", she went on, "let me interpret them for you. The middle one is the Moon, which means… ", she flicked through the pages, "confusion and lies. Oh and creativity! The Past card is the 9 of swords – it's a horrible card, isn't it? – and it means sorrow. The Future card is the Hierophant, which is an advisor or a teacher. So, the answer to your question is…" she put a dramatic look on her face again, "that you are confused now, you were crying before and you are in school for the foreseeable future! Wow, I'm good".

They both burst into laughter, trying hard not to let a sound escape them and alert the teacher, who thankfully was at the other side of a quite noisy classroom.

"My turn", Elia said when they calmed down.

She closed her eyes, shuffled, then picked three cards and passed them to Bran. He laid them out in the correct order and looked at them. He frowned. This was bad. Professor Rivers at that moment happened on their desk and stood next to them silent. Bran blushed and focused on the cards.

He tried to find a positive way to spin it, but he couldn't shake the cold dread he felt, so he stalled by reading the Appendix, while Elia waited politely - on account of the teacher standing next to them, of course. He could feel her foot tapping on the floor next to his. Eventually, he looked up at her anxious face.

"The middle one, the High Priestess reversed, could mean that right now there is a secret you don't know about. Something that affects your question. You don't have all the information. The Past is the 6 of Coins, it's about give and take so perhaps the situation you are facing has to do with an exchange that happened in the past, some sort of transaction. Finally, the … um… the Future card", he paused and they both glanced at the picture of a body lying on the sand pierced by ten swords, "means death".

Professor Rivers was smiling.


	11. Chapter 11 - Nights at Hogwarts I

**Standard disclaimer applies.  
**

* * *

I switched viewpoints half way through and have no idea why. I might revise the chapter in the future, but for now, I'll let it be.

* * *

**Arya**

It was Saturday night, the end of the first week of lessons. The common room was silent but for the sound of the crackling fire and the occasional flutter of owl wings outside the window. Arya sat deep in an armchair by the fire with a determined look. She glanced at the clock a few times. Suddenly, she looked up. She could hear footsteps.

Gendry emerged from the staircase that led to his dorm.

"You have to be quieter!" she whispered. "I could hear your footsteps coming down, we have an important mission!"

"_An important mission_? It's just stalking", Gendry said. "I'll never know how you got me into it. We'll get in trouble for sure, I promise you".

"Nonsense! Robb and Jon and the others have spent the last few days doing the Night Watch and they haven't been caught yet".

"They know spells of concealment, mate!"

"Well, I got us something better!" she said and stood up. She had been sitting on a soft package. "I ordered it as soon as the Night's Watch was formed. I used up all my savings for it and asked it to be confidential and there it is!" she said happily and drew a cloak from the package. She put it on her and Gendry gasped.

"_No. Way_. Is it? Is it what I think it is?"

"Yes", said Arya with a smug smile. She was a head floating on air now. "'Tis not the best quality Invisibility cloak and the warranty is only six to eight months but it'll do for now. Come, it's meant for grown-ups, we can both fit in".

Gendry hesitated, then reached out his hand to where her shoulder might be. It was disconcerting to touch something warm and solid that you couldn't see. He slipped under the cloak, Arya pulled the hood up and over their faces and they left.

"So where're we going?"

"Where're we going _first_ is what you should've asked", Arya said.

"Oh no! You're definitely getting us into trouble".

"Don't be silly. We'll never get caught. Now that we have this, the whole school is our playground! Tomorrow is Sunday besides. We can sleep in".

They walked silently for a bit, with Gendry's wand under the cloak lighting their way. Arya turned towards the Astronomy tower.

"Robb said they take watch at the Astronomy tower now that the weather is still warm. Sam and Jon are on at 2. We'll just see what it's like; then we can go explore the castle!"

Gendry sighed at her enthusiastic tone. He had a bad feeling about all this.

Ten minutes later they were on the Astronomy tower and Robb was nowhere to be seen.

Arya pulled the hood down letting the sharp September air cool their flushed faces. "Where is he?!" She got out of the cloak to move freely and looked all around for him, but no Robb or whoever he teamed up with was there.

She grunted while Gendry was having a quiet laugh at Arya's thwarted plans.

"I bet when Robb said he'd be at the Astronomy tower, he wasn't exactly being truthful", he offered.

She didn't say a thing, just turned back and bolted down the stairs.

"Wait!" said Gendry and ran after her.

He reached her a few floors down, trailing the cloak behind him. She was standing in a dark corridor listening intently. Without a word, she got under the cloak, put her finger on her lips to indicate silence, made sure they were fully covered and walked down in the darkness.

The corridor was a dead-end coming to a large bay window that overlooked the lake. A thin sliver of the moon illuminated the still water. Under the window on a wooden bench sat a creature with four arms and legs all entangled and two mouths making slurping noises. It was Robb and his girlfriend, Jenny, kissing.

**Gendry **

Gendry pulled Arya away. He could feel her anger rising from her body like steam. In her eyes, Robb had neglected his duty to make out with his girl. Snogging seemed a better idea to Gendry who was not impressed by the Night Watch, but knew that Arya had very specific notions of honour and duty and she must be upset and disappointed by her older brother. So he wasn't surprised when she led him back up the stairs to the top of the Tower and found a seat for them.

A few quiet minutes passed, then she spoke as if replying to a question. "Don't care. If he's not here, I will do the Watch. This will be _my_ spot. I can see all over the Forbidden Forest and the mountains and everything. If the convict comes, he'll come from the Forbidden Forest of course".

"No, they won't", said Gendry. "No one can presume to go into the forest alone and survive. Wizards usually go in groups. Safety in numbers, you see. There's all sorts of monsters in there, giant spiders and angry centaurs and what-have-you".

"The Bastard escaped the _Dementors_ and everyone says they're the most horrible creature around, so my guess is that whatever is in the Forest will not scare _him_. He will brave the forest in order to get to us. I'm sure of it".

Ten minutes went by, then thirty. The night was getting colder and the cloak didn't offer much in terms of heat. They didn't speak and Gendry's mind wandered to the kissing couple downstairs. Jenny was a half-blood Slytherin and a very pretty girl and she'd been Robb's girlfriend for almost a year now. He remembered Arya complaining about her 'Slytheriness' when the news that her brother was seeing her broke out. Gendry wondered what Arya would do if he kissed her, but he knew better than to try it right now. She'd choke him to death for disrupting her vigilance.

Suddenly, she felt her stiffen next to him and rise from the seat. He looked at where she was pointing and saw –

"A fire!" she said. "Someone is camping there and lit a fire! What if it's him? We have to tell someone!"

**Arya**

Gendry agreed with her that it was pretty suspicious.

"Of course it is! Who'd camp in the mountains in this area? The school is in the middle of nowhere".

"Should we tell someone?"

Arya's first thought was her brother but then she remembered the kissing sounds and stopped. If only she could find Jon! Would he come here for his shift or would he go to that bay window? Or would he also meet a girl to make kissing noises with? Was the Night Watch just a joke then? She felt tears sting her eyes and blinked furiously.

"We'll tell a teacher. Or - or maybe Jon. But tomorrow or we'll get in trouble. Let's go, I'm freezing", she said and with a last glance at the mountains, they got under the cloak and left. A second later an owl flew out of a window of the Gryffindor tower straight for the flickering flames.


	12. Chapter 12 - Days at Hogwarts II

**Disclaimer: Characters and setting belong to GRRMartin and JK Rowling respectively.  
**

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_Thanks for the favs and the review. Reviews and favs make me write faster :)_

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**Sansa**

It was late September. The Bastard of Bolton had not been seen or heard of at all and the dread of those days in that first week of September gave way to the typical Hogwarts atmosphere of lessons and Quidditch and homework. October brought rain and low temperatures with him and Mr. Tully started sporting his huge yellow scarf wrapped many times around his neck, something which he advised all his students at Hufflepuff to do. "Take care of yourselves," he liked to say. The Defense lessons were underway and Professor Lannister, _the hot one_, was assisted by one of the Aurors: Balon Swann, _the hot one_.

But that's not all October brought for Sansa.

It was a Thursday morning, the enchanted ceiling a gloomy grey. She finished her breakfast (porridge, red fruit and a glass of pumpkin juice) and set off for Care of Magical Creatures. Just before she reached the castle entrance, she saw a figure standing there, leaning on the frame. It appeared to be looking at her. She couldn't see the face as the figure was in shadow, framed with the light coming behind him – but it was certainly a him. As she got nearer, she could make out his face and her heart drummed.

It was Joffrey Baratheon! None other than the cutest boy in the year, the grandson of the Minister for Magic himself, the son and heir of the wealthy Baratheon House. She slowed her pace as she got near him.

"Hi!" Joffrey said with a smile on his face.

_ohmygodohmygodohmygod _"Hi", she said, her cool voice betraying none of the turmoil she felt inside. He had never spoken to her before and she had to remember to keep breathing.

"I was waiting for you", he said. "We have Magical Creatures together. Do you mind if I walk with you?"

Sansa thought she'd collapse when he said that. Her heart was pounding so hard she wondered how he could not hear it. With an almost superhuman effort, she remain composed and said "yes, of course", her voice catching only a little at the end.

He took her school bag and they walked side by side until the edge of the forest, where the lessons took place. He was charming and funny and full of tales of his family and the Ministry and she laughed at all his jokes and he looked at her sideways with a mischievous grin - which she found very sexy – and she 'accidentally' brushed his arm with her fingers once or twice. Margaery had shown her how to do that.

Finally, they reached Hagrid's cabin. They stopped facing each other. She took her bag back. His friends were waiting for him and everyone else was staring and whispering and she knew she'd be the main topic of conversation at dinner.

"Thank you for walking with me and carrying my bag", she said.

"It was my pleasure. Um…" he hesitated in the sweetest way possible, blushing slightly and Sansa's heart beat faster than ever, "would you like to do this again some time? Maybe we could go for a walk by the lake one day?"

_He asked her out_. The blood rushed to Sansa's head and she knew she was blushing furiously but she managed to say in a practiced, even tone of voice, as if this was all natural to her: "sure, why not?"

"I'll speak to you soon, then, to arrange a time". He dropped his voice, "Hagrid is looking at us now, we'll get in trouble".

When the lesson finished (she had not heard a single word), she walked regally all the way to the castle and the first floor, then ran wildly and out of breath, her robes flapping around her legs, till she reached the common room and her girlfriends and told them in a shrill voice of what had occurred.

* * *

**Tyrion**

"So, do you believe your niece?"

Edmure was sitting next to the fire, sporting that ridiculous yellow scarf of his. He was holding a hot tea with something call Echidna or Echinacea or something similar, that Qyburn had ensured him would work wonders for his constitution. He sipped a little, winced, swallowed.

"Bleurgh, I am almost convinced that old Qyburn is either trying to poison me or he's just taking the piss. Health drink! This is _foul_".

Tyrion was totally convinced that Qyburn was taking the piss and he wouldn't be surprised to find out that Echinacea was indeed another name for goblin piss.

Edmure replied to his question. "Yes, I believe her. Arya doesn't lie and she wasn't alone. I gave her a good scolding for being out of bed at that time of night and wandering the castle with that boy. I'll never know what they were thinking, wandering in the Astronomy Tower…"

Tyrion just looked at him pointedly.

"Oh come on! Arya is too young. What... do you think that maybe ...? I hope not. My sister will kill me!"

"Calm down. To be honest, I don't think they were up to anything naughty. I know your youngest niece and she always gives me the impression she'd rather be a boy than kiss a boy. For the time being at least".

"Well, I told the Headmistress immediately but that didn't go very well. I managed to leave my niece out and say that I saw the fire, and then _she _scolded_ me_ for not investigating immediately! Try to do a good thing and end up being shouted at by the Queen of Thorns… pff".

"I'm sure I heard that idiot Trant say that the Aurors went to check the place and found nothing unusual".

Edmure's lips tightened. Tyrion knew that the Herbology teacher had developed a huge dislike to Meryn Trant, the team leader of the Aurors hosted in the school and he agreed whole-heartedly with him. Trant was a lazy bastard who resented being sent there.

"Hmm, all I'm going to say is that even Arya would do a better search of the area. He was there and back in less than half an hour", said Edmure. He took another sip and grimaced.

"Do you think it really was something? We should have asked for Jaime to follow them too".

"I guess we should have. He came back saying they found nothing, no fires or anything suspicious, and I was probably dreaming or hallucinating. The nerve! I was very embarrassed by the whole situation and there is no way that the Headmistress will pay attention to anything I tell her now".

He looked worried.

"Do you have anything to tell her then?" Tyrion asked.

"Well, a first year has been acting quite strangely in my class these past few days. Sometimes she is hyper; other times she is close to tears. She never pays attention, her mind wanders. Once, I let her go to the bathroom in the middle of the lesson and she never returned. It's not normal. She used to be quite bubbly in the first week or two. You know, the life of the party".

"Elia Sand?" asked Tyrion. Now that Edmure mentioned it, he did remember that Elia seemed troubled and she had missed a couple of his classes recently. "Have you spoken to Randyll? He is the Head of her House".

"Yes, I have. Just this morning actually. She missed my class".

The door of the staffroom opened and Jaime walked in the room, followed by Balon. He sat down heavily.

"Well, those Defense lessons are going well". He bent and cradled his head with his palms, while Balon Swann laughed darkly.

"That bad?" asked Tyrion.

"Today I had year 4 and 5. I was … well, we were", he said gesturing at Balon next to him, "teaching them the Protection charm. It took all these weeks just to master the _Expelliarmus_ charm, which they had _all_ been taught in Year 1 and I can testify that, because I remember teaching them. Anyhow. _Protego_. It was a disaster".

"I think they spent more time chatting and giggling – or worse, ogling us and sighing than listening to what we have to say", Balon added. "I have fought very dangerous wizards but teaching full time… man, I don't think I could do that".

Tyrion wanted to snap that that particular teaching problem was reserved for the best-looking teachers and they shouldn't _really_ complain but he held his tongue. With a slight prick of jealousy he thought of how no students in his classes sighed while looking at him.

"I'd better check with my team", Balon said getting up, but at that moment, the door opened with a bang and Mr. Tarly stormed in, closely followed by the Headmistress.

"She's missing", he said to them. "Elia Sand is gone".


	13. Chapter 13 - Nights at Hogwarts II

**Disclaimer: GRRM and JKR rule, so there.  
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**Brienne**

It was one of those terrible, long, anxious days that adrenaline and stress made every action and speech and movement vivid as a nightmare and indelible to memory – it was like seeing everything illuminated by a huge spotlight. Kids frozen with fear; others huddled in a corner; first-year girls crying; prefects calling for attention; Elia's half-sister and Head Girl tense and gaunt with red-rimmed eyes; the Headmistress tight-lipped assigning tasks for everyone, teachers, Aurors, ghosts.

A kid was missing. A convict was loose.

Shit.

Every nerve in Brienne's body was tingling. This is what she became an Auror for. She would find the girl, she promised herself.

Lessons were cancelled and the students assembled in the great hall until all dorms and common rooms were searched, while Meryn Trant took Balon Swann and the kid, Podrick, to help Hagrid search the grounds, then the Forbidden Forest and the mountains. Brienne with Alysanne were heading to the Gryffindor house.

Alysanne was fuming. She didn't say a word but Brienne could tell, seeing her pursed lips and her expression as if she was trying to swallow something bitter.

"You'd rather you were in the Forest, right?" Brienne said finally when they stood in front of the portrait and gave the password ("Mimbletus Mimbletonia").

At this Alysanne erupted.

"Podrick Payne? _Podrick Payne_? He left the academy less than a year ago! I'm his senior by many years! I have assisted in the capture of the wizard Cob – that dark wizard who raised Inferi, remember? I have been in a hell more tough situations than even Meryn _fucking_ Trant himself has been. This is an insult. It is bloody humiliating, is what it is".

They were now in the silent common room.

"_Homenum Revelio_", said Brienne. That was always the first step.

Nothing. But of course, they were counter-spells to hide a person from that spell and counter-counter-spells and so on. The battle against Dark Wizards demanded them to be always one step ahead.

So Alysanne murmured "_Crypto homenum revelio_" and then "_Animagum Revelio_", the spell for revealing hidden Animagi in animal form. Both showed nothing, but that was only the preliminary stages of a search. To be certain, they had to manually search every nook and cranny and of course sift through the evidence to see if they had any clues as to what happened to the unfortunate girl.

They moved slowly and without speaking through the detritus of a common room scattered with the trappings of youth and school: parchments and books, broken quills on the floor, copies of The Cosmo Witch and Quidditch Illustrated Swimsuit Issue, inkpots, a lion-bearing bearing banner on the wall, a shoe here, a discarded school tie on an armchair, packs of cards and an unfinished game of wizard chess on low round tables. Both women had been Gryffindors so nostalgia was added to the day's assault of feelings.

Climbing the stairs to the girls' bedrooms, Alysanne spoke again with a grim smile.

"I have to say, though, I enjoyed seeing him told off by the Headmistress about that half-ass search he did on the mountains regarding that fire. Mr. Tully looked positively glowing".

"Well, he was vindicated, wasn't he? I'd prefer it, though, if that fire was proved to have nothing to do with the missing girl. The idea that this could have been prevented…"

Alysanne put a hard, reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"We will find her".

Elia's bed hadn't been slept in. She had been taken probably last night before bedtime, then. They did a thorough search of the bedroom, then her trunk.

"This is interesting", Brienne said after a while.

"What is?"

"Some of her clothes are missing. I mean, her school robes are here, but there's no sign of underwear. It is unlikely that it's all currently in the laundry", she said looking up.

"Laundry day is at the weekend, anyway – the elves return it in a day", Alysanne agreed.

"Also", Brienne continued, "there are not many warm weather clothes, no sweaters or anything. Kids wear Muggle clothing outside lessons, right?"

"Hmph". Alysanne showed what she thought of that new trend.

"Well, I think that's odd. Would the kidnapper have time to pack some clothes for the girl?"

Alysanne was thoughtful. "Check this out", she said instead. "Found this torn parchment. It's from a letter. It's just some words on a couple of lines: …..of course I love … patience is running… only you. The handwriting doesn't match her father's letters, there are some here and I compared them".

"It can't be – d'you think … perhaps …?"

Alysanne pursed her lips.

"It is _very_ likely. The girl wasn't taken. She ran away".

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**Tyrion**

It had been a long evening and now, close to midnight, everyone was shattered. The news that the two Aurors brought were very disconcerting.

"We have to speak to her friends", Jaime said at the staff room, packed with teachers and Aurors and ghosts. "They surely know something. Her sister, too, to see how things were at home".

"I doubt it is a coincidence that there was a fire in the mountain a while ago. Perhaps she had arranged to meet someone when she ran away?" Tyrion said. He knew her only briefly but he got the impression that she was a smart girl. She must have known it'd be difficult out there for an 11-year-old on her own. "If that is so, her friends might have an idea of her correspondence".

"I agree with you", said the Headmistress. "Who will conduct the interviews?"

There was a bit of a tense silence as unspoken questions of jurisdiction rose amongst them. Meryn Trant started clearing his throat…

And the headmistress swiftly interrupted him.

"Tall Lannister, you'll interrogate the girls, along with Mr. Tarly. I'd like an Auror with you…" she cast her gaze around and Tyrion followed it. Trant looked hopeful. He had it on Balon's word that Trant had been terrified of the Forest. Next to him, Alysanne Mormont leaned large and threatening on the wall, Asha Greyjoy was cleaning her nails with a knife and huge, shy Brienne Tarth was at the back of the room as always.

"Ms. Tarth", the Headmistress concluded and Meryn Trant's smile fell. "You will assist them. Tyrion, if you'd be so kind as to attend when Sarella is interviewed? You can use Tall Lannister's office. Get on with it and quick. I want the girl found", she barked.

As everyone started leaving the staff room, Tyrion and Edmure glanced furtively at each other and smiled. It seemed that Meryn Trant was now firmly in the Headmistress' black books. Interrupting him, then choosing a female Auror over him was evidence of her lack of trust in his face. About time, thought Tyrion.

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**Bran**

The rooftop was empty as always. Stars blinked overheard and a distant moan came as the wind rustled the treetops of the Forest. Bran wasn't about to run around the roof at night, so he just sat still and quiet at the wide, sturdy ledge that Myrcella and him had been sitting on when they visited the roofs. Ever since that fateful day when he proposed to take her to his "spot", moved by her tears to let her breathe in the open sky, they had been coming here often. The approaching winter meant that they'd have to refrain from visiting for a while, so in the last week or so they'd be coming every day.

They had become friends. She was a sure-footed climber too. They explored more and more of the kingdom of roofs, climbing, peeking through skylights into unused classrooms, looking at gargoyles and scaring away the crows. No one ever came, they had never been seen - save by the birds. They looked at the view, laughed and played and then they sat on the ledge facing the forest, and talked about school.

By the end of first month in Hogwarts, Myrcella was his best friend. The only other person he had liked was Elia.

He really shouldn't have come here this late, but he couldn't stand staying with the other students, who kept predicting more dire fates for Elia by the hour. He had worked with her for the last month in Divination and he liked her. In the beginning, she was funny and unpretentious and made him laugh. They worked well together and he loathed seeing her cards always dark and scary. Perhaps that's why she had been looking more and more reserved and anxious as time went by. He closed his eyes and wished he could find her. _Where are you, Elia_? he murmured to himself.

"I can help you with that", said a voice behind him.

He jumped. It was an adult – no, worse than that, a teacher – even worse, _Professor Rivers_.

Professor Rivers scared him. He turned to see him standing inside the window and smiling. His albino face glowed white and unreal in the moonlight. The Professor swiftly went through the window and sat next to him. A crow flew on his shoulder.

"I know you have been coming here, Brandon Stark" he said. "Ah, don't worry", he waved his fears away. "I won't turn you in. In fact, I am here to help you".

"Help me, sir?"

"Indeed. You see, Bran, I think you show promise in my lesson. I have decided to share with you a Divination skill that is little known and even less used. What do you know about warging?"

"Warging, sir?" Bran was confused. His emotional roller-coaster went from 'I'm fucked' to 'what the fuck' very quickly and he couldn't think clearly. He looked at his teacher stroking the crow. "You mean, entering the mind of an animal, sir?"

"Exactly. I was going to wait, but circumstances have forced my hand. Things are moving quicker than I had expected. So we will start now".

"Now? Do you mean, _right now_?"

"No time like the present. Here's what the main principle is – "

It was the strangest lesson that Bran had ever attended, but by the end of the first hour, he had managed to briefly enter the mind of the crow that kept them company. He saw his face through the bird's eye and the shock took him out of the trance. Professor Rivers smiled satisfied.

"It's a start. It is late, Bran. Time for you to go to your bed. If you leave now, you will not meet anyone on the way back".

Bran climbed in the window and turned to look at his teacher.

"Sir, why did you decide to teach me this skill?"

"Isn't it obvious? You are going to find Elia".

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**A/N:**

*Cheers for the reviews, nothing motivates me more than favs/reviews/follows :)

*_Meryn fucking Trant_ is of course a reference to HBO's GoT and the awesome Sandor who uttered those famous words. It is my regret that i still haven't figured how to put him in the story.


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